Someday, She Hoped
by themaniac of no man's land
Summary: The Yule Ball: What went on while Harry sat at the table? Ginny Weasley finds an unlikely situation out of the mess she calls her crush on Harry Potter.


Ginny Weasley sighed in resignation, wincing as her foot was trod on yet again by Neville Longbottom. He was very nice, to be sure, and it was great that she could go to the ball in her third year, but watching Harry Potter and Parvati Patil dance and her now swollen feet had ensured that the ball wasn't quite worth it. She needed out, and immediately.

"Neville?" She got her date's attention. "I have to use the loo. I'll be back soon." Ginny wandered off, wishing she had a really close, best friend to confide in- she was still lonely little Ginny, ex-best friend of Tom Riddle in too many ways for her to be quite happy. The girl most likely to understand and sympathize with her current situation was Hermione, yet she looked as if she were having the time of her life with Viktor Krum, and Ginny didn't want to interrupt anything.

Wandering aimlessly, she at last made it to the fairy-filled garden that had been the Hogwarts grounds that afternoon and collapsed on a bench, sighing mournfully. She stared at the fairies' lights until she heard the plop of someone sitting next to her. Thinki9ng it was Neville, and dreading it, she turned slowly- only to find Cho Chang, Harry's crush and the receiver of Ginny's deepest feelings of envy, sitting next to her.

"Hi." Ginny quietly said, suddenly noticing that Cho, for some reason, looked glum. "Are you all right?" Ginny was suddenly alarmed. Flashes of scenes flew before her eyes: Harry danced with Cho and Cedric got mad and Cho ran away, but was now planning to elope with Harry at The Leaky Cauldron, flooing over next Hogsmeade visit…

Cho said flatly, "No. I should be all right, right? I'm here with Cedric, Cedric Diggory. A school champion and one of the most popular and best looking boys. A girl's dream. Shouldn't I be all right?"

Ginny told her, "I would think so, but they're your feelings, not mine."

Cho replied desperately, "Cedric's great. He's so nice, a perfect gentleman. I like him, just not like _that_. Any girl would love to be his girlfriend. He's the type of guy you can't say no to… I like him a lot, it's just…"  
"You like someone else better?" Ginny hazarded, praying that she wouldn't hear _that name_. Of course, she would though, and Harry and Cho would get married immediately after Hogwarts and have lots of brave, popular, dark-haired babies.

"Yeah. Harry Potter." There it was. Bloody Hell; How much worse could her world get? "I know all my friends say he's too young and Cedric's just so good looking, but I can't help it. I just really like him. He asked me to the ball, you know, I had just already told Cedric…" Oh, Ginny knew, all right. That would be on her worst events of the semester list, right after Ron suggesting Ginny to Harry in front of Ginny as a last-resort date. But Cho wasn't done, "I hated saying no- and now I'm here tonight with someone else, who's wonderful and all, but it's just still not the same." Cho looked over at Ginny, half-embarrassedly. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to pour everything randomly out to you, it's just I have no one…"

"Oh it's okay, I know, I know what you mean," Ginny cut across. "I'm kind of in a similar situation myself." Encouraged by Cho's commiserating look, she plunged on, "I like him, but he doesn't even know I exist. Harry doesn't even… I mean, at least Harry knows you exist," she amended quickly. Ah yes. Ginny Weasley, little sister of Harry Potter's best friend, and forever doomed to be always seen in that capacity. As if Cho had it bad, she thought. Ginny was the shunned little sister who had to constantly break into her brother's broom shed since the toddler days to learn how to fly because they wouldn't let her in on their games.

"I'm sorry," Cho looked sincere, Ginny could giver her that. "Who is it"?"

"Um…" Think of a name, any name, Ginny thought desperately. Okay. "…. Michael."

"Michael Corner?" Cho looked delighted. "The Ravenclaw fourth year? Oh, pretty girl like you shouldn't be any trouble- I can introduce you. Come on! We can fix you up now!"  
Bloody hell, Ginny thought. Now she had to actually be introduced to this prat, whoever he was, and act delighted about it. But it was too late now, Cho was forcing her around the crowd, keeping a vise-like grip on Ginny's left arm.

"Michael!" Cho called loudly. "Corner! Come here!" Don't die of embarrassment, Ginny thought. But it was far too late. Ginny forced on an adoring smile, feeling oddly like she would rather be mudwrestling several death eaters at the moment than in her current position. "Corner," Cho was saying, "This is Ginny-"

"Weasley?" he interrupeted. "You're the little sister of Potter's best friend, eh? Another Weasley?" As if he couldn't make it any worse, she thought savagely. He looked her up and down, and as Cho tipped him a little wink, smiled smugly and said, "Well, Hel-lo." Ginny felt sick, but forced herself to smile back.

"You two go dance!" Cho offered brightly, and knowing she had no way out, but still quickly signaling for Neville to rescue her (who was unfortunately deeply absorbed in conversation with Professor Sprout and therefore no help at all) Ginny allowed Cho to push her onto the dance floor with this Michael Corner fellow. She cast one last look at Harry, who was now somehow gone forever, and at Cho, who was resignedly making her way back to Cedric, before pasting yet another fake smile on her face and turning to face the Corner creep.

Later, Ginny and Hermione were talking quietly, Hermione having finally run out of air to complain about Ron and how he ruined her date with Viktor Krum, and Hermione asked Ginny about her own night. Ginny gloomily spilled out the whole thing, including the shamefaced feeling of Harry never noticing her. "I mean, it's not like he's got the Triwizard Tournament to worry about, oh no, he has all the time in the world to notice me," she said sarcastically.

"You know," Hermione said thoughtfully once Ginny had finished, "Harry might notice you more if you started being more, well, yourself around him."  
Ginny was baffled. "Meaning?"  
"Well, could you handle yourself around this Corner creep?"  
Ginny nodded to the affirmative. "Bat-Bogey Hexes."  
"Great," Hermione said. "Now, date around, and get a little experience and confidence, Ginny. You clam up around him- don't deny it," she added as Ginny opened her mouth furiously. "If you can make appearances that you've gotten over your crush on him- you'll be more experienced in dating and you'll be able to be your usual self- witty, funny, daring, talkative. He'll like the real you, Ginny. You're getting very pretty- boys are starting to notice. Harry will like what he sees- just be yourself and give him some time to notice."  
Ginny opened her mouth to revile the stupidity of a plan involving any more time with that creep Corner, but Hermione silenced her with a look. "Think about it, Ginny," she said, and left Ginny alone in her dorm.

The next day, Ginny flirted her heart out with Michael Corner, knowing Harry Potter wouldn't notice the behaviour change. Someday, maybe, he would, she hoped. Someday all today's stars would burn out. Someday there would be a complete new set of teachers and students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, a set of fresh starts. Things had to change sometime. Someday, the world might be free of the legacy of Salazar Slytherin and the prejudices against muggleborns. Someday, Harry Potter might notice the girl who had given her heart to him at King's Cross Station when she was only ten years old.


End file.
